Steam and Small Plates

Mara arrived at the night market at seven. The street was full of light, steam, and people. Every stand sold something different: noodles, dumplings, fruit on sticks, cold tea. She was hungry, but she did not know where to start.

Mara je stigla na noćnu tržnicu u sedam sati. Ulica je bila puna svjetla, pare i ljudi. Svaki štand prodavao je nešto drugo: rezance, knedle, voće na štapićima, hladni čaj. Bila je gladna, ali nije znala odakle početi.

She stopped at a stand with long lines. A woman cooked dumplings in a big flat pan. Mara watched the other customers. They pointed at the menu, said a number, and paid. When it was her turn, she pointed too. "Five, please," she said. The woman nodded and smiled.

Zaustavila se kod štanda s dugim redom. Žena je pekla knedle na velikoj plitkoj tavi. Mara je promatrala ostale kupce. Pokazivali su prstom na jelovnik, rekli broj i platili. Kad je došao red na nju, pokazala je i ona. "Pet, molim", rekla je. Žena je kimnula i nasmiješila se.

The dumplings were hot and crispy on the bottom. Mara sat on a small plastic chair and ate them slowly. Then she walked to the next stand, and the next. That night she learned the most important rule of street food: a long line means good food.

Knedle su bile vruće i hrskave na dnu. Mara je sjela na malu plastičnu stolicu i polako ih jela. Zatim je otišla do sljedećeg štanda, pa do idućeg. Te večeri naučila je najvažnije pravilo ulične hrane: dug red znači dobru hranu.